_Running the Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing Procedure

Candidate for this Procedure: Learner’s who babble very infrequently and babble very few different speech sounds.

Step One: Inventory of Sounds:

  1. The teacher will take an inventory of all of the sounds that are currently in the learner’s vocal repertoire. This will be done in two ways:
  • The teacher will write down all that sounds that have been reported both from observations and from other staff members.
  • The teacher will also conduct a full day assessment where the teacher will record all of the student’s sounds and their frequencies.
  1. From the inventory that is generated, a sound that is currently in the learner’s repertoire and most often heard will be chosen as the “target sound”.

Step Two: Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing/Automatic Reinforcement Procedure

  • Prior to running the procedures described below the teacher will do the following:
  • Determine the activities and the reinforcers that are not currently being targeted as mand/signs to use as reinforcers during the pairing.
  • Each day the teacher will schedule three-20 minute sessions where she will be running the procedures below.
  • Procedures:
  1. Present target sound 3 times with a one seconddelay between each presentation. However, sometimes presenting the sound more than 3 times sometimes evokes a better approximation and therefore up to 5 presentations should be considered.

For example: “Target sound”----1 sec----“Target sound”----reinforcer

  1. Run a trial at least 10 times a minute. That is, one trial every 5-6 seconds.
  1. If Learner echoes the sound during any one of the presentations reinforce abundantly.
  1. If after the 3rd or greater presentation he doesn’t echo the sound, reinforce anyway but not as much as you might if he echoed back the target sound. For example, giving him 3/4 of a French fry versus a whole French fry.
  1. If he emits any other sound during your first presentation of the target sound continue until the 3rd presentation, again reinforce anyway but not as much as you would if it were the target sound.
  1. Be reminded, continue to present the sound more than 3 times if the value of the reinforcer doesnot seem to diminish.
  1. Run this procedure three times (three sessions) a day with each session being about 20 minutes long.Take trial by data on what he said or not during this pairing condition.
  1. In addition, the team will then calculate the percentage of target sounds and other sounds heard during the pairing condition. Place other sounds over total number of trials to generate “other sounds” percentage. Place target sounds over total trials to generate target sounds percentage. Graph both on data sheets provided.

Step 3: Post Pairing Condition:

  1. After each of the three pairing conditions the staff will then record the frequency on the target sound and the time it is heard using the data sheet below (See “Post Pairing Data Sheet”.)
  1. At the end of the day the staff will have a total frequency for the target sound emitted for all of the post pairing conditions throughout the day.
  1. This frequency will then be graphed (Horizontal axis = school dates/sessions; Vertical axis = frequency of target sound.)
  1. When the target sound is heard often during the post pairing conditions, place the target sound as an echoic and choosing another sound for the automatic reinforcement procedure.

ALTERNATE OPTION: Sometimes the target sound begins to occur frequently in the pairing condition but not the post pairing condition. When this occurs, consider discontinuing the pairing procedure for that sound and moving it immediately to the echoic program. Consider 2 consecutive pairing sessions in which the target sound occurs as the criterion for moving the sound to the echoic program even though post pairing target responses are low.

Pre-Pairing/ Sound Inventory Data Sheet

Child:______Date: ______Time: ______

Activity / Sound Heard

Automatic Reinforcement Procedure

Child: ______Target: ______Date: ______Time: ______

Procedure:

  1. Present target sound 3 times or greater with a 1 sec. delay between each presentation.
  2. If the child echoes the sound during any one of the presentations reinforce and do so abundantly.
  3. If after the final presentation of the trial the child doesn’t echo the sound, reinforce anyway but not as much as you might it they echoed back the target sound.
  4. If the child emits any other sound during your presentation of the target sound continue with presenting the target until you get to the final presentation, again reinforce anyway but not as much as you would if it were the target sound.
  5. Take trial by data on what the child said if anything in the space below the trial number (see below).

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20
21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 28 / 29 / 30
31 / 32 / 33 / 34 / 35 / 36 / 37 / 38 / 39 / 40
41 / 42 / 43 / 44 / 45 / 46 / 47 / 48 / 49 / 50
51 / 52 / 53 / 54 / 55 / 56 / 57 / 58 / 59 / 60
61 / 62 / 63 / 64 / 65 / 66 / 67 / 68 / 69 / 70
71 / 72 / 73 / 74 / 75 / 76 / 77 / 78 / 79 / 80
81 / 82 / 83 / 84 / 85 / 86 / 87 / 88 / 89 / 90
91 / 92 / 93 / 94 / 95 / 96 / 97 / 98 / 99 / 100

Key: “+” target sound “---“no sound “o” other sound”

POST PAIRING DATA SHEET

Child: ______Date: ______

Target Sound: ______Observation Time: ______

Activity / Target Sound: